Anger Management
by StrongerWithThePack
Summary: Superboy's having trouble controlling his anger during training. Robin volunteers to spar with him. What could possibly go wrong...
1. Chapter 1

**AN:**

 **So this is the first story I've written and I know this plotline has probably been done plenty of times before but I love Robin and Superboy's relationship so I thought I'd give it a go. Hopefully it isn't as awful and cheesy as I think it is.**

 **Sorry for any mistakes (I seriously cannot spell to save my life). Constructive criticism is always welcome.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, all rights go to DC (I think?)**

Conner's patience was running thin as the Atlantean he fought continued to block his punches. Kaldur'ahm dodged and stopped each new attack, seemingly with ease.

Superboy could feel his teams presence watching the two as they sparred. There was the occasional shout of encouragement for both participants but them being there only made Conner nervous. He didn't want to be embarrassed in front of his friends. Conner knew that was not the point of training, he didn't always have to win. Black Canary insisted losing helped one learn their weaknesses and improve. Superboy did not take pleasure in being beaten though.

Conner, in his frustration, failed to notice as his friend quickly switched to offence. His water bearers slashing left and right trying to hit the near indestructible Kryptonian. Conner felt a few slice across his bare arms but he knew they would not leave much damage. _Still stings like hell though._ He thought.

Conner knew to hold back during sparring, everyone did, he knew not to actually cause serious harm to his team mates. He especially knew as had the strength to cause lasting damage. He knew all of this, but the problem was, if he got frustrated, he tended to loose control.

Conner knew he was getting angrier with every hit the Atlantean landed on him. He couldn't think properly. Couldn't strategise. He just needed Aqualad to stop attacking him. He had to stop the attacks. He leapt into action.

He yelled as he charged forward, simply pushing through the water Kaldur'ahm was using to protect himself.

"Keep you're focus Conner!" Black Canary yelled as she observed from the sideline.

Superboy was soon standing directly in front of the Atlantean who threw his water bearers to the side to engage the Kryptonian in hand-to-hand combat.

Kaldur jumped into action swiftly aiming a punch towards Suberboy's temple, he was surprised when Superboy blocked his attack by grabbing his wrist, effectively stopping the blow from making contact. Conner used this to his advantage as he used Aqualad's momentum to flip the boy over his shoulder. Kaldur landed heavily, his back slamming into the floor, the wind had been knocked out of him.

Aqualad cursed to himself for letting Conner take him down so easily. _Even with the Kryptonians super strength, he should have done better than that._

Aqualad, still on the floor in his dazed state, looked up to see Superboy jumping into the air above him, coming down his fist was aimed at the Atlanteans head.

Kaldur'ahm barely managed to make a quick roll out of the way before Conner's fist slammed into the floor right where he had been only moments ago. Aqualad, sensing his friends loss of control, backed away picking up his water bearers that had been discarded on the floor, looking over to Conner he could have sworn the Kryptonian had made a dent in the surface of the training platform.

Robin sensing his friends aggression from the side shouted "Come on Conner! Keep control"

Superboy took a moment to breathe as Robin's words sunk in. What was he doing? He thought to himself _If that punch had met it's target Aqualad could have been killed!_ Superboy knew his mistake and was thankful his friend had been able to dodge his deadly blow.

Superboy stood faced Canary "I think we should stop."

He looked back down to the dent he had made in the floor. "I'm getting too aggressive. I'm sorry Aqualad." He looked at his friend, who was still poised in a defensive position.

Aqualad, realising he was no longer in danger of an attack, swiftly placed his water bearers in the holders on his back and walked to where his friend stood. He stretched out his hand and Conner accepted the gesture as the two shook hands.

"There is nothing to apologise for, my friend" Kaldur'ahm looked to the dented floor below them "You were able to assess when the situation was becoming out of control and that shows great self discipline" Aqualad nodded in sincerity towards Superboy.

Superboy was not convinced by Kaldur'ahms words, however, he had always had trouble controlling his strength. He thought Superman could have helped him learn control but his so called 'father' did not see him often.

Black Canary and the team helped him as best they could with training exercises and stuff like that but through all the practice he could never keep his emotions in check when it really mattered.

Superboy stepped off the sparring arena only to be faced with Robin smiling up at him. "Don't worry Conner. You'll be a Zen Master soon enough."

Conner let a slight snigger loose at the thirteen year olds casual joke. Robin always knew how to lighten the mood and make him feel better. Conner had taken a liking to the upbeat boy as soon as they met, he just always felt comfortable talking to Robin. The younger boy had always been kind to Conner and had taught him a great deal about life outside Cadmus.

Conner shook his head smile fading "I don't know Robin...I'm just too aggressive"

Robin's smile also disappeared as he listened to his team mates lack of confidence.

Canary came over to the two and sighed "Conner, you need to be able to control yourself during battle. You don't think properly when you're angry and during a real fight, when its life or death, you need to keep you're concentration. If you can't even refrain from trying to hurt one of you're own friends, I honestly don't know how you can be trusted as a part of this team."

The room fell into silence, the entire team was shocked and Canary's harsh lecture only made Conner feel more ashamed of himself, _maybe she's right, I shouldn't be a part of this team...I'll only end up hurting someone._ Before Conner could voice his concerns however, Robin, who had been listening to Canary's words, spoke "No. Conner will always have a place on this team. So what if he's still learning control? Everyone here is still learning something. That's why we're here, that's what training is for. Conner has got control, he just needs time and our support. In fact-" Robin said while removing his belt and gloves "I want to spar with him. Right now. No gadgets, just hand-to-hand combat" Robin stared determinedly at Canary waiting for her response.

Superboy was stunned at the boys outburst, he didn't know Robin cared that much. The rest of the team also wore expressions of shock, not sure how to react to the little birds speech. Canary quickly recovered from her own surprise and frowned "I don't think that's a good idea".

The boy wonder didn't waver in his determination "Why not!? We've sparred before."

Canary's temper rose as she exclaimed "Not like _this_ Robin".

Conner was mortified at Robins request. Sure, they had trained before, but they had never properly sparred. They usually fought from a distance, Superboy only had to dodge the boy wonders attacks, which usually consisted of weaponised gadgets from the boys belt.

Robin was too busy pleading with Canary to notice his distress however "I can help teach him control, please give me a chance".

Canary thought to herself, _Robin is capable of besting Conner at hand-to-hand combat in skill, but with Superboy's strength and speed...too much could go wrong. Robin knows how to teach his team mates though, he always finds a way to help his opponent during fights. He and Conner have formed a very good friendship in the past few months on the team. Conner is also very protective of his younger team mate...maybe this will help._

Canary gave another frown "Fine. But I will be stopping this if it looks like its getting out of hand"

Superboy froze and said quietly "No."

Robin looked at him, confused "Conner?"

Superboy replied with new found confidence "This is ridiculous Robin! I'm not going to fight you."

Robin's face hardened "What! Why not?"

Superboy gritted his teeth and yelled "BECAUSE YOU'RE ONLY HUMAN ROBIN!"

There was complete silence after that. The tension in air could be cut with a knife. Robin scowled at the comment "What's that suppose to mean? You think I can't handle myself?"

Superboy's anger faded and he sighed "No Rob...I know not to underestimate you, trust me, but I just...I don't want to end up hurting you"

Robin smirked "You won't. Because like I said, when I'm through with you, you're going to have the control of a Zen Master"

Superboy smiled still slightly unsure "Okay, lets see what you've bird boy"

Robin gave another smirk before bounding off and flipping gracefully onto the platform ready to begin.

"Bring it on, Supey"

 **To Be Continued...**

 **Let me know what you guys thought :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:**

 **Hey guys, sorry for the long wait I had intended to finish this a lot sooner but a mix of writers block and just life in general got in the way. Anyway I've learnt my lesson now ~ do not post a chapter until you know where you're going with the story.**

 **Again any mistakes are completely my fault and I apologise for that.**

 **Thanks so much for the great response guys, seriously its what gave me the motivation to finish this, getting a review literally brightens up my entire day! I honestly wasn't even expecting anyone to read this when I first published it so genuinely thank you guys so much!**

Conner sighed as Robin flashed him his signature grin, urging him to join him on the platform. Superboy clambered on and stood to face the younger boy, he couldn't help but notice how bare the boy looked without his gadgets, he seemed practically defenceless.

Robin teased "Thought you were getting cold feet for a second there Conner"

Conner gave a slight smile to acknowledge Robins joke but the boy wonder frowned.

"You don't think I have a chance at beating you, do you?"

Superboy sighed "Look Robin, I know you have all these fancy moves, but seriously? I'm Superman's clone and you don't even have any gadgets, you can't beat me."

Robin raised his eyebrows "Well that sounds to me like a challenge. Lets do this."

His face hardened with determination as he got into a fighting stance, Superboy followed his lead, getting ready to begin.

Robin thought to himself, _The team don't really know what I'm capable of in hand-to-hand combat. That's not really my role when with them. I'm the Hacker or the gadgets guy. I think its time they learned what someone trained by the bat can really do._

Robin grinned to himself, this was a fight he did not intend to lose.

Black Canary stepped to the side of the platform watching the two like a hawk. "Begin"

Robin was moving before Superboy even had time to think, within seconds he was standing right in front of him. He aimed a punch towards the boys head, careful not to use too much force - he definitely wasn't going to lose control with Robin - but it never landed. Robin had ducked backwards, placing his hands on the floor, he used his momentum to bring his legs up and land a kick underneath Superboy's chin. Superboy grunted at the force of the kick, it was expertly placed and was more powerful than Superboy had expected from the small boy.

He tried to kick out at where Robin had been just a few seconds before but his foot connected with nothing and he almost lost his balance before looking over to where the boy wonder stood a good few metres away from him grinning.

Wally commented from the sidelines "Wow...that was fast even for me"

The rest of the team nodded with agreement, they had underestimated what Robin could do. As well as being fast, the move he had just pulled off was done with perfect execution, none of them could even dream of being able to manoeuvre themselves like that. Even Black Canary looked impressed.

Robin knew he couldn't stay within Superboys range for too long as the Kryptonian would use his strength to have Robin beaten within seconds. No. His tactic was to avoid the attacks and land quick blows every so often until he saw an opening to take the larger boy down.

"What was that you said about my 'fancy moves'?" Robin smirked using air quotations

Superboy recovering from his initial shock narrowed his eyes. He had to admit he underestimated Robin slightly but that was not going to happen again, he was not going to lose this fight.

Superboy did not entertain Robins mocking with a reply, he instead charged forward ready to land a blow on the little bird. However, just as he was close enough to land a punch, Robin was airborne and flipping over him. He followed the birds movement only to receive a sharp kick to the ribs when he turned to face his opponent. He growled and punched out but Robin was again bounding away from him in an array of backwards walkovers.

 _Dammit_ Superboy thought, he'd done the exact same thing as before. He was letting Robin dictate the fight, he was always exactly where the boy wander wanted him. Now Robin had bested him twice, that was not going to happen again.

Robin gave another smirk "Not as easy to pin down as you thought, am I Conner? Think you need a new tactic"

Superboy growled. _Is Robin trying to antagonise me!?_ He straightened up forming a new tactic.

Superboy moved towards Robin more slowly this time, the little bird matched his movements by edging backwards. Robin stopped at the edge of the arena and Superboy ran at him, trapping him in the corner of the platform. Superboy wanted to limit Robins ability to move, giving him a chance to attack.

Robin, realising what Superboy planned to do, attempted to manoeuvre away from him, but Conner was ready for this and blocked every dodge the boy made. He didn't have enough room to perform any aerial tricks and so readied himself for close combat.

Superboy grinned inwardly _Got him now_

He punched out at Robins head, still keeping his strength in check, but surprisingly he did not meet his target. Even with in small space, Robin had managed to duck out of the way.

Superboy immediately tried again, kicking out at Robins stomach, but the boy wonder saw it coming and turned to the side, Connors foot only brushing his Kevlar made suit. Robin grabbed his leg as it passed in front of him and pushed it back, attempting to knock Superboy off balance. Superboy stumbled backwards slightly but did not lose his footing.

Robin, now with more room to move, jumped into the air and aimed the heel of his foot to Superboys temple in a swift kick. Superboy, recovering his balance, just had time to block the blow with his arms, the force of the kick was more than he had expected. He was getting tired Robins acrobatics. He was not going to lose.

He charged at Robin and, like the last time, the boy wonder took to the air, jumping over him. Superboy was ready this time though and turned before the boy wonder had even landed.

He decided it was best to predict where he was going to be instead of where he was at the moment, because where the boy wonder was at one second had no correspondence as to where he would be the next. Kicking out as Robin landed, he was surprised when he actually met his target.

The kick connected with Robin's chest and the young boy let out a cry as he flew backwards before slamming into the ground. Superboys happiness at landing the blow was quickly deflated when Robin did not get up again.

Canary gasped from the sideline "Robin!"

Conner panicked as he ran towards the motionless bird, he hadn't kicked him that hard had he? _Of course you did, he flew halfway across the room!_

Superboy reached Robin and stood over him assessing the damage. Robin lay on his back and Conner could see his eyes closed behind the whites of his mask. His concern was quickly replaced with surprise however as he suddenly found his feet no longer below him.

In one quick motion Robin had sprung onto the heels of his feet and sweep kicked Superboys feet out from under him. Conner not really knowing what had happened landed on his hands and knees only to be met with a foot kicking into his temple. He slammed onto the training platform with a thud slightly disorientated.

He looked up to see Robin standing over him smirking "I think we can call this my win, yeah?" Robin held out his hand offering to help his teammate up.

Superboy took it, standing up still stunned "Wait...what?"

Robin grinned "I won"

Superboy frowned "But you were..."

"Faking it" Robin finished

Superboy understood now "Jesus Robin, you scared the crap out of me"

"Well that's what you get for underestimating me" Robin defended

Superboy past his initial shock smirked "I'm pretty sure what you did is called cheating"

Robin smiled "Its called tactics"

"Tactics? Really?"

"Yep. Well my initial plan was to make you mad and take you down when you weren't thinking straight. Hence the goading and distance idea" Conner grimaced inwardly annoyed he hadn't seen what Robin had been trying to do "But, you had complete control the whole time, seriously Conner you were amazing"

Conner jerked his head up at this comment "But...you beat me and you're wrong I was really mad I couldn't hit you"

Robin replied "But you used that anger to your advantage, you were using your own tactics. Cornering me, predicting my moves you couldn't of done that without a level head Conner. And your hit did take me by surprise by the way, I wasn't expecting it. I just decided to use it to my advantage."

Conner smiled realising Robin was right.

"I'm sorry for underestimating you Robin, I should've known better"

Robin smiled "Thanks Conner, I know you don't like to lose but I needed to prove myself too, we can't be a team if people don't trust me to do my job"

Conner now understood how important this had been to Robin as well, being the youngest and the smallest on the team often meant he was underestimated, he had to prove he could handle himself.

Conner assured him "I'm sorry I made you feel you had to prove yourself, everyone knows you can do your job, trust me Robin you have nothing to worry about...especially after today."

Robin visibly brightened at Conners comment.

Black Canary interrupted "Conner I want to apologise for earlier, I wasn't being fair. Now I'm not saying you don't have anger problems because you do but you're not a danger to this team and I was wrong to accuse you of that."

Conner smiled a silent acceptance of Canary's apology and she smiled back before turning to Robin her smile disappearing "And you. If you ever pull a stunt like that under my supervision again you'll find yourself running laps until you pass out. Is that clear?" She warned.

Robin gave her his signature smirk "Crystal"

 **The End**


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